Decorating press



Nov. 30, 1943 H. c. HEBENSTREIT DECORATING PRES S Filed Nov. 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O T N E W A TT OHNE Y.

1943- I H. c. HEBENSTREIT DECORATING PRESS Filed Nov. 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 15 BY /w ATTORNEY.

1943. H. c. HEBENSTREIT 2,335,840

' DECORATING PRESS Filed Nov. 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 a? w 504 w @P w INVENTOR, flaw/y 6C fleke/zsfre/f ATTORNEY.

Nov. 30, 1943. H

Filed Nov. 1, 1940 C. HEBENSTREIT DECORATING PRES S 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECORATING mass Harry 0. Hebenstreit, Alliance, Ohio Application November 1, 1940; Serial No. 363,832

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in deccrating presses and has particular reference to a decorating press suitable for mechanically and automatically stamping decorative designs upon the non-planar surfaces of ceramic, glass, porcelain, and other types of commonly called fiatware dishes, etc.

Due to the irregular contour of the various types of dishes it has been found impossible to properly decorate the surfaces thereof by means of presses now in general use.

This decorating work is now being manually accomplished by stamping the design on the dish by several hand operations, and the accuracy of the work depends entirely on the skill of the operator, which at best cannot equal the'accuracyof operation of a machine wherein a single stamp containing the complete decoration is stamped on the article by a. single stroke of the press. Furthermore, the hand operated stamping is extremely slow as compared with the present machine stamping.

The principal object of the present invention is a provision of novel attachments that will operate in conjunction with one of the common types of-printing-press to stamp designs on non-planar surfaces of dishes of various shapes and sizes.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a decorating press having gravity means for centering circular dishes to be stamped.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a decorating press having novel dish releasing means operable to permit the delivery of the dish from the machine by gravity.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of means to automatically separate the v dish from the impression stamp when a coloring material having the excessive adhesive qualities is being used.

A still further object is the provision of a press with the parts so constructed and related that designs above and below the verge line of a plate or similar dish may be simultaneously stamped.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, accuracy and speed of operation and adaptability for use in stamping articles of various sizes, having surfaces of various contours to be decorated.

With these as well as other objects which will appear during the course of the specificationjn view reference will now be had to the drawings wherein, Y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a printing press (of the Gordon type) with additions and alterations, partly broken away, embodying this invention. I

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the press taken on line ll-ll of Fig. 3, with the parts shown in the stamping position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the press with the parts in the open position as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged inverted plan view of the impression control table, with the parts in the normal position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectimal view of the impression control table taken on line V--V of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the impression control table taken on line VIVI of Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the trip lever taken on line VIIVII of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section showing the relative relation of the strike plate or cam and the impression control table and the down move,- ment.

Fig. 9 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 8 as the impression control table is moved upward- 1y after the stamping operation is completed.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the impression control table and associated parts taken on line XX of Fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the strike plate and the upper portion of the supporting standard.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged central sectional view of the kick-ofi plunger assembly.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the stamp mounted in the base.

Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view taken on line XIV-XIV of Fig. 13 with the medium rollers positioned thereon.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of a section of design strip enlarged. v

Fig. 16 is a sectional view of a modified form of base and stamp member.

Throughout the several views like reference characters refer to similar parts and the numeral 20 designates a printing press patterned, in general after the Gordon printing press now in gem 55 'rotatably mounted in bed frame 28.

connection of the parts insures the full movement ing form 62., to inkthe stamp for pression.

. 7 The impression-control table ed Figs. 3, 4; 5 and '6 shows-the platen or plate in frame 22 is driven b a belt 38 which operatively engages the drive pulley 40 of motor". Mounted on shaft 86 and in mesh with the gear cam wheel 42 is a spur pinion 44. This gear cam wheel 42 is rigidly secured to shaft 48 which is disposed in parallel relation to shaft 86 and is jour- Mounted on shaft 46' outside of frame 22 is a small head and lock cam member 48 having an eccentrically disposed pin 50 on which an end of the side arm 52 is pivoted while the other end thereof is pivoted on the eccentrieally disposed trunnion 54 which is integral with the rocker shaft This of the bed plate to and from the platen at each revolution of shaft 46.

Above the bed of the press, and at an angle thereto is positioned an'inking-disc 50 which is carried .by bed frame 28 to facilitate proper spreading of the coloring material fed from the fountain 58 mounted adjacent the upper edge a of disc 56. The inking rollers 80 pass over the.

inking-disc 56 thendownwardly over'the printeach im:

- naled for rotation in the frame members 24, 20.

platen to engage the periphery of a circular,

with pins 88 so that it can pass downwardly to chute 80 for delivery to the conveyor belt 8| by means of which it is delivered from the press. The pins 88 are also ad ustable to and from .each other to accommodate dishes of different diameters.

for the stop pinsis accomplished by the following- This adjusting and releasing means mechanism. Referring to Fig. 5 it willbe observed that pin 88 extends through. an obliquely I disposed slot 82 formed through platen I4, and is securely attached to an arm 84 therebelow. "l'o facilitate smooth operation of the pin through the slot a ball bearing carried by the pinengages the walls of the slot as the pinis moved. Both The'platen or impression control table is,

- mounted for oscillation on-rocker bar 04 which? is mounted on axially disposed trunnions 60 in frame-members, 24 and '26. The outer extremity of one of said trunnions is provided witha flxe'd' crank arm 68- carrying at its free end airoiler,

10 which is adapted to operatively engage in cam w slot 12 to oscillate the rocker bar 64' and cause thelplaten to'be properly positioned relative to the printing stamp at each revolution of shaft to which mm wheel 42 is securely attached.

Cam slot 'I2is so constructed that it will cause 7 the platen to. move gradually to the stamping position to .avoid any tendency for the. dish-or which normally'holds the block jII4 againsta ware to be thrown from its centered position on the platen as hereinafter set forth. V

' 82 best illustra- 14 mounted by means of screw jacks I8 to rocker bar 64 andsecured in proper parallel relation thereto by'means of guide pins I8 which are slidably mounted in h'oles80 formed in ears 82 which are integral withv the rookerbar-M;

The jack screw 84 rigidly secured totheunderf side of-the plate I4 is threaded into adjusting nut 86 'whichis mounted for rotation on rocker. bar 64, by flanged ring 65 so that by simply rotating the nuts '86 the height'of the platen is controlled, and may be set to accommodate the different sizes and types of dishes 'or articles beingstamped. The two extreme operative positions of the platen are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the platter in theraised position it is near a'horizontal positionand' is adapted to support a dish thereon without sliding, however as the. press operates and the rocker 'ba'r moves the platen to the printing position shown in Fig. 2 the. in-' clination of the platen will be increased so that any dish carried thereon will'have a tendencyv to slide therefrom by the action of gravity ,to. overcome thefrictional action of the .dish against the platen. This gravity action of the dish on the platenas its-inclination is increased is utilized to facilitateprop'er positioning and centering of the dish forthe stamping operation.

Referring to-Fig'. 3 wherein'a plan view of the platen is shown it will be noted that two stop pins aremounted in like manner and the arms 84 are pivoted to acommon block 86 which is screw threaded to receive the adjusting threads 98 of sleeve member I00. To avoid marring of the edge of the ware each of the pins 88 is pro- .vided with a-rubber sleeve '89. c 4 ,Sleeve I00 issplined at I02 to guide shaft I04 which is rotatably mounted in bearing blocks I00. and I08 secured to the under side of platen I4. Shaft I04 isprovided at its frontend'with a hand knob IIO'by means of which it is rotated to move the block 86 therealong. The inner end of -sleeve I00 is flanged at H2 and mounted for rotation in a pull block II4. Mounted on shaft I04 intermediate bearing I08 and sleeve I00 is .a compression spring H6 stop plate -I I8 which is securely attached vto the under side of platen I4. The movement of block II4along shaf,t l04 will cause the sleeve I00 to 1 move therewith to move the stop pins 88 in their respective slots relative toeach other for releasing the dish.

-This stamping press isjespe'cially designed to stamp circular flat ware of various diameters. Each time a run is to be made it is necessary to rsigoperiy position the supporting pins 88 in slots The following mechanism is provided to cause an automatic longitudinal movement of sleeve I00 againsttheractions of spring IIB-to cause 1 the stop pins to be moved apart to' rele ase the and itwill be noted that in Fig. l which shows -dish whereby'it may pass downwardly between the pins 88 to the chute 90. An operating lever I20 pivoted intermediate its ends at I22 to platen I4 is pivotedat itsinner end by pin I24 to link I26 which inlturn is pivoted to block vl l4 by pin I28 see Figs. 4,5, 8 and 9.

f The outer end of lever I20'is slotted ati30 to receive the pin I82 by means of which it is operatively con'nected with pawl block I34 which in turn is pivoted together with release pawl I36 to bearing I38 by pivotpin 140. A knife joint at I42 between lever I20 and the cross bar I44 permits of relative movement of' these parts inbut one direction.

will be noted that the re- Referring to Fig. Ht

lease pawl I30 is so positioned that it normally rests against the innerside of cross bar I44 to move the pawl block I34 in the direction to break pins 88 extend'upwardly-fromthe face of the 78 the knife Joint I42 and cause the lever arm I20 to oscillate to move the block II4 through the interconnecting parts. The release pawl is free to move in one direction against the action of compression spring I46 which is mounted on the rod I46, pivoted at I50 to the inner end of'release pawl I66, and extended through an opening I52 formed through the bracket I54 mounted on pawl block I34.

The outer end of release pawl I38 is provided with rotatably mounted spherical operating ball I56 which is positioned to contact the stationary strike plate I58 which is adjustably mounted on standard I60 securely attached to side frame 24 of the press.

In the operation of the press the ball I56 will contact the strike plate I56 on the' down stroke (see Fig. 8) to move the release pawl I36 about its pivot I40 to compress spring I46, so that on the downward stroke of the impression control table 32 there will be no action of lever arm I20 to actuate the mechanism to force apart the dish holding pins 66. After the stamping operation is complete and the platen 32 starts on its upward movement the release pawl will be moved in the other direction shown in Fig. 9 thereby causing a separation at the knife joint I42 and a resultant movement of levers I20 thereby moving block I I4 and sleeve I lengthwise of guide shaft I04 to cause the pin shifting mech anism to operate to release the dish, and permit it to move by gravity from plate 14 to the chute 60, see Fig. 3.

It will be noted that on the downward movement of the platen the operating ball I56 will move across and below the strike plate I56 so that the release pawl parts will again move to their normal position, so that on the upward movement of the platen the stop pins will be moved to the extended position as described above.

Since it is desired to support the dish to facilitate proper stamping, without smearing it is necessary to release the dish at just the proper time and while the plate 14 is sufficiently inclined to cause the dish to move by gravity therefrom. The time of release is determined by the vertical position of the strike plate I58. This plate I56 is provided at its back side with an integral block I62 which is slidably mounted in a slot I64 formed in standard I60 and has a vertically disposed threaded hole I66 which receives a threaded rod I68 secured against longitudinal movement in cap bar I10. As rod I68 is rotated the block and strike plate will be moved vertically and will remain in any desired pre-determined position.

The dishes such as plates, saucers, etc., to be stamped vary in size and in order to properly support a given size dish in centered relation for stamping it is necessary to adjust the pins 66 by rotating the guide shaft I04. A' few trial stampings are made to make the proper adjustments before the regular run is started. All similar dishes of substantially the same diameter can be stamped at one setting of the machine and should dishes of different diameters and depths be stamped the same general adjusting of the pin supports and strike plate will be necessary.

The operator feeds the dishes from stack B, mounted on the stationary table I12 which is positioned in front of the platen. An automatic dish feeding device might be provided without necessitating any change in the 'press construction. The printing form 62 comprises a chase I14 mounted on press bed plate 60 and having a central opening I16 formed therethrough. A stamp I16 made of a soft resilient material such as sponge rubber or any other material having similar qualities, is formed to substantially conform to the contour of the ware to be stamped by cementing or otherwise securing in a recess I formed in a wood or metal base I82 to conform to the contour of the surface to be stamped. This base in some instances is provided with a central opening I64 which is positioned in axial alignment with opening I16 in plate 30. This base is clamped in position in the chase I14 by means of the usual clamping means I66.

It will be noted that the resilient stamp extends outwardly from the chase and base so that as the inking or medium rollers 60 move thereover as clearly shown in Fig. 14 all surfaces of the stamp will be properly covered with a thin coat of the stamping material.

The stamp surface I 66 containing the design I is usually made on a thin rubber sheet shaped to properly fit the soft resilient form. It may be formed in one piece or may be made up in sections so that when it is cemented to the sponge rubber section it will be a continuous regular design. Most of the printing or stamping faces are of general ,frusto-conical form such as would be found on the rims of plates, saucers, etc.

In the standard Gordon printing press the throw-off parts I62, I64, I66 and I66 are normallypositioned adjacent the center plane between the side frames, however without changing their functions in the present press they are shown moved to a position between side frame 24 and fly wheel 34 to be operated by throw-off lever 200 throughlink 202 and lever 204. The only reason for changing the position of said parts was to provide sufilcient room for the disadhesive coloring medium is used to stamp the ware. Gold is one of the adhesive or sticky stamping mediums which has a tendency to lift the dish from the platen as stamping parts separate. It is found convenient, when gold is being used, to provide means to force the ware against the platen with suflicient force to permit the stamp to be withdrawn from the surface of the ware.

The kick-ofi plunger assembly 204 comprises an outer sleeve 206 rigidly secured to bed plate 30 through opening I16. The bore 206 of the end portion of sleeve 206 passing through bed plate 30 is reduced in size to receive the plunger rod 2I0 which is provided at its outer extremity with head 2I2 having spaced apart knobs 2I4 adapted to contact the surface of the ware being stamped. This rod passes through the central opening formed through block I62. A rod 2I6 slidably mounted in the rear end portion of sleeve 206 is recessed at 2I6 to receive the inner end of rod 2 I 0 for relative sliding movement therewith. The exposed end of rod 2I6 is reduced at 220 and provided with a strike button 222. The plunger rod 2I0 is bifurcated at its inner end to form a slot 224 through which a transverse pin 226 carried by rod 2 I6 passes. Between the inner end of rod 2 I0 and the pin 226 is a pin 226 which closes slot 224 and limits the movement of the pin 226 therein. A compression spring 230 positioned between the end of rod 2) and the end of recess 2I6 con-.

stantly urges the rod 2l8 outwardly so that pin 228 rests against pin 226. Sleeve 286 is provided with flange 232 and strike button 222 also has a similar flange 234. Between flanges 232 and 234 is mounted a compression spring 2 36 which normally held the head 2 in the retracted position to permit the inking rollers to pass thereover without contacting the knobs 2 l4.-

The timing of the operation of this kick-oi! plunger is determined by the movement of the inking roller frame 238 which is controlled in the usual manner by the action of the bed frame 28 and roller arm 24!] which is secured at its one end to the stationary frame 22 and at its otherend to a lug 242 integral with roller arm 24.

A lever arm 244, mounted on rod 246 which is rotatably mounted in bed frame 28, is secured thereto by means of set-screw 248 and is so positioned that the free end thereof will contact the strike button 222. Securely attached to rod 246 is another lever arm 256 having a roller 252 at its free end positioned to be contacted by a fiber can;

255 which is carried byroller frame 238. When, theparts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the stamping operation is being performed, the rod 2E6 will be forced farther into sleeve 206 to compress springs 236 and230. It will be understood that the longitudinal compression movement of spring 236 is always greater than that of the smaller and weaker spring 230 in order to provide a free adjustable movement of knobs 2 l4 to contact dishes of different thicknesses. As the tially vertically inclined positionLand means operable to position said pins to permit said article to pass therebetween by gravity as the platen is moving upwardly from said inclined position.

2. A decorating press of the type described wherein a stamp is movable toward and from an oscillating platen; spaced apart pins carried by said platen to support an article to be decorated in a pre-determined position thereon, as the platen is moved downwardly to a substantially vertically inclined position; and means carried by said platen automatically operable as said platen is moved upwardly from said substantially vertical position, whereby said pins are moved farther apart to release said article.

3. A decorating press of the type described wherein a stamp is movable toward and from an oscillating platen to decorate an article therebetween; two spaced apart pins carried by said platen to support the article to be stamped on an inclined plane therebetween; means in'engagement with said pins whereby they are relatively adjustable to vary the distance therebevtween; and means operable as the stamp moves from the platen to'increase the distance between said pins where the article supported therebe- 7 tween is released and. delivered by gravity fro stamp leaves the ware in the normal operation of the press the knobs 214 will rest against the ware with suflicient pressure to insure the separation of the stamp and ware without any movement of the ware relative to the platen. When a nonadhesive coloring material is being used there will be no need for the kick-oil mechanism and the lever 24 3 can be moved along rod 246, out of alignment with strike button 222 by releasing set screw 266 so that it will not operate to compress the springs of the kick-off assembly. v

In the modified view of the base and stamp member it will be noted that the base 248 is free from center openings and is therefore adapted for use with a stamp 25!! which rests in recess 252 formed in the base. With this type of stamp the center stamp section 254 as well as the rim section shown at 256 may be used. When using a coloring medium which does not adhere to dish and stamp sufilciently to lift the dish-from the platen this type of base and stamp may be used.

While this stamping press has been shown as conforming to the general structure of thewell known Gordon printing press, however it is apparent that it could be constructed to conform'to other types of printing presses, wherein the stamp and platen are relatively, moved toward each,

the platen is moved downwardlyto a substansaid platen.

4. A decorating press of the type described wherein a stamp is movable toward and from an oscillating compression control table to'decorate circular flat dish ware therebetween; two spaced apart pins extending through slots formed in said table, adapted to engage the rim of said dish to support and center it in a pre-determined position for stamping as the table is moving downwardly to the stamping position; means for adlusting said pins to vary the distance therebetween and means adapted to operate as the stamp moves from the stamping position to separate said pins a suflicient distance to permit the stamped dish to pass therebetween.

5. A decorative press wherein a stamp is movable toward and from an oscillating compression control table to stamp circular flat dishware oscillatingplaten; means caried by said platen to support and center a circular dish on ,the platen as it is moved to an acutely inclined angle for stamping; said means including two spaced apart pins extending through slots formed in said platen to engage the rim ofsaid dish to support and center it in a pre-determined position for stamping on said platen as'the platen is moving downwardly to the stamping position; means for adjusting said pins to vary the distance therebetween; means adapted to operate as the stamp is moved from the stamping position to separate said pins 2.. s'uflicient distance to permit the stamped dish to pass therebetween.

, HARRY c.- rmBENs'rRErr. 

